Miracles and Deliverance
Lesson 13
Lesson Text—Acts 28:1-3
Acts 28:1-4
1 And when they were escaped,
then they knew that the island was
called Melita.
2 And the barbarous people
shewed us no little kindness: for
they kindled a fire, and received us
every one, because of the present
rain, and because of the cold.
Lesson Text—Acts 28:1-3
3 And
when Paul had gathered a
bundle of sticks, and laid them on
the fire, there came a viper out of
the heat, and fastened on his hand.
4 And when the barbarians saw the
venomous beast hang on his hand,
they said among themselves, No
doubt this man is a murderer,
whom, though he hath escaped the
sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to
live.
Lesson Text—Acts 28:4-6
Acts 28:5-6
5 And he shook off the beast into
the fire, and felt no harm.
6 Howbeit they looked when he
should have swollen, or fallen
down dead suddenly: but after
they had looked a great while, and
saw no harm come to him, they
changed their minds, and said that
he was a god.
Focus Verse—II Corinthians 1:10
II Corinthians 1:10
Who delivered us from so
great a death, and doth
deliver: in whom we trust that
he will yet deliver us.
Focus Thought
God will send what His children
need to accomplish His purpose in
the earth. He will enable and
empower His people to be
victorious in achieving His
mission.
Introduction
I. The Jailbreak
Paul opened his second letter to
the believers in Corinth by
acknowledging God as “the Father
of mercies, and the God of all
comfort” (II Corinthians 1:3). He
wrote from a heart filled with joy
based on his experiences, for He
had received the mercy and comfort
of God on many occasions. Paul
had endured severe trials from
which God had delivered him. (See II
Corinthians 11:24-28.)
Paul was grateful for the
intervention and blessings of God.
I.
The
Jailbreak
He had suffered much, but also had
experienced miraculous times of
deliverance and protection. Paul’s
life testified to the faithfulness of
God; He is present to help us in our
times of trouble (Psalm 46:1).
Paul saw his own experiences as
a means of ministering to others.
Having suffered and survived, he
was able to encourage others and
help them to know that God was
able to work on their behalf (II
Corinthians 1:4, 6).
Believers are not losers or victims,
I.
butThe
they Jailbreak
are “more than
conquerors” through Jesus Christ
(Romans 8:35-37). Further, God is
no respecter of persons (Acts
10:34); what He does for one He can
do for another. Paul used his
experiences to assure others that
they can trust God, which comforts
a person’s anxious heart and
sustains him while he is in the
throes of suffering.
In II Corinthians 1:8-10, Paul
referred to a specific situation that
I.hadThe
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threatened his life. Paul stated,
“We despaired even of life” (II
Corinthians 1:8). The situation was
so desperate Paul considered death
to be imminent. The situation was
beyond Paul’s human ability to
alter. Like Peter sinking in a raging
sea, death seemed inescapable. Yet,
when Peter called to Jesus for help,
Peter received divine protection
(Matthew 14:25-32). Likewise, Jesus
delivered Paul when his life was in
jeopardy.
But for the grace of God, Paul’s life
would have ended then and there.
I.However,
The Jailbreak
looking back on his
experiences, Paul testified of God’s
great deliverance to those who trust
Him and call on the name of Jesus!
We do not have to be in the deep
regions of a war-torn nation or
living in the crime-riddled areas of
urban America to need God’s
miraculous protection. God’s
protection is available and at work
in our lives every day.
A Pentecostal minister had been
struggling to prevent the amputation
I.
The
Jailbreak
of a leg due to severe circulatory
problems. One day, as he was
splitting firewood, the sharp axe
glanced off the wood and slammed
into his bad leg. His wife, standing
nearby, saw what happened and
cried, “Jesus!” His wife rushed to
his side and quickly examined the
leg. There was no blood—not even a
scratch! Two days later, there wasn’t
even the slightest sign of bruising.
The minister was taking a high dose
of Coumadin, a blood thinning
medication.
Had he sustained a severe cut, he
I.
Thehave
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could
bled to death within
minutes. Miraculously, God
protected him. God’s miraculous
protection works among His people
every day.
Believers who dedicate their lives
to God’s service can trust Him to
protect them should they find
themselves in desperate and
dangerous conditions. Paul suffered
on many occasions—sometimes
severely—yet God wrought
miraculous deliverances for him.
I.
The
Jailbreak
Paul
expressed
confidence to the
Corinthians that God’s miraculous
power would not diminish with time.
They, like us today, must learn to
trust in Him completely. God is
trustworthy. There is miraculous
power in the name of Jesus!
The Jailbreak
I. The Jailbreak
Sometimes advancing the
kingdom of God leads to
persecution or confrontation.
However, Paul offered positive
hope for persecuted believers: “We
are troubled on every side, yet not
distressed; we are perplexed, but
not in despair; persecuted, but not
forsaken; cast down, but not
destroyed” (II Corinthians 4:8-9).
Suffering may accompany Christian
I.
The but
Jailbreak
service,
God will not forsake us
in the midst of our suffering. God is
faithful to sustain, empower, and
protect His people.
At Philippi, Paul encountered “a
certain damsel possessed with a
spirit of divination” (Acts 16:16).
This led to a series of
confrontations during which Paul
experienced the miraculous
deliverance and protection available
to God’s people as they labor in His
service.
A. Confrontation
A. Confrontation with Evil
with Evil
As Paul and others were on their
way to the place of prayer, a slave
girl whose divining powers made
her masters lucrative profit began to
follow them crying, “These men are
the servants of the most high God,
which shew unto us the way of
salvation” (Acts 16:17). Her words
were true, but her spirit troubled
Paul.
I.
The Jailbreak
Perhaps
he feared that those
observing her would assume an
association existed between his
group and the damsel, thereby
damaging the credibility of their
gospel work.
Adam Clarke’s Commentary
suggests, “In such a predicament as
I.
The
Jailbreak
this, nothing could have saved the
credit of the apostles but their
dispossessing this woman of her
familiar spirit, and that in the most
incontestable manner; for what
could have saved the credit of
Moses and Aaron, when the
magicians of Egypt turned their rods
into serpents, had not Aaron’s rod
devoured theirs?
And what could have saved the
credit of these apostles but the
I.
The
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casting out of this spirit of
divination, with which, otherwise,
both Jews and Gentiles would have
believed them in compact?”
Evil is never more evil than when
it is cloaked in a little truth.
Although this damsel spoke truth
regarding Paul, still her heart was
full of darkness. Paul could not
afford an association with such a
person.
As Paul wrote to the Corinthian
believers, “Be ye not unequally
I.
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yoked together with unbelievers: for
what fellowship hath righteousness
with unrighteousness? and what
communion hath light with
darkness? And what concord hath
Christ with Belial? or what part hath
he that believeth with an infidel? And
what agreement hath the temple of
God with idols? for ye are the temple
of the living God; as God hath said, I
will dwell in them, and walk in them;
and I will be their God, and they shall
be my people.
Wherefore come out from among
them, and be ye separate, saith the
I.
The
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Lord, and touch not the unclean
thing; and I will receive you, and will
be a Father unto you, and ye shall be
my sons and daughters, saith the
Lord Almighty” (II Corinthians 6:1418).
We often apply II Corinthians 6:1418 to marriage between a believer
and a non-believer; however, the
principle involved is much broader
than only marriage. It extends to all
our intimate relationships, which can
influence our message, or at least
how our message is received.
Our lifestyle and our associations
I.
The
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can either reinforce the clarity of the
gospel message or confuse those to
whom we would minister. As the
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown
Commentary states regarding II
Corinthians 6:14, we should not be
“yoked with one alien in spirit.” The
influence and reputation of nonbelievers may prove detrimental to
our ministry for Christ Jesus.
this Jailbreak
day of ecumenical thinking
I. InThe
and ambitions, many individuals are
endeavoring to blur and erase the
lines of demarcation between sin
and sanctification, and between truth
and error. Consequently, ministers
and congregations must guard the
credibility of the gospel message
they proclaim by not developing
questionable associations.
No matter how close to truth an
I.
The
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error
is, still
it is error. We must love
all people, but like Paul, we must
commit ourselves completely to the
truths of God’s Word. Paul defended
the clarity of truth by confronting
evil, not compromising with it. God
will protect us from evil as we
confront evil. Jesus has promised to
give His followers power “over all
the power of the enemy,” and He
added, “Nothing shall by any means
hurt you” (Luke 10:19).
Confrontation
B.B.
Confrontation
with with
Authorities
Authorities
Having dispossessed the divining
damsel through the name of Jesus
Christ, Paul incurred the wrath of
her masters who instigated his
arrest, punishment, and
imprisonment. The authorities
apprehended Paul and Silas not
because of what they preached but,
as The Wycliffe Bible Commentary
states, “They had disrupted a
profitable business.”
Persecution arose not over
B.theological
Confrontation
with
issues, but
over money
andAuthorities
human greed. Amazingly, men
possessed of greed caused more
harm to Paul and his missionary
work than a woman possessed of an
evil spirit! Oh, the power of greed
and lust for money! Men would
rather have profits than prophets.
The authorities had Paul and
Silas stripped, beaten, and
imprisoned. Money and human
greed often influence the decisions
and actions of civil authorities.
The authorities Paul faced are not
B.much
Confrontation
with
different from the
authorities
of our
day who, at times, are
Authorities
influenced by special interests when
making or enforcing policy. Sadly,
money continues to determine the
levels of what some deem as
appropriate, acceptable, and decent.
A small town in a southern state
that had been dry recently voted to
allow alcohol sales within its city
limits. Why? Business interests!
Because money was being lost to a
neighboring city, merchants and
civil authorities felt their local
economy was suffering.
Preferring money to principle, they
B.changed
Confrontation
with
the city tradition.
Greed
is a gross form of
Authorities
selfishness that does not care
whom it hurts or punishes.
Business interests may profit from
alcohol sales, gambling, and the
promotion of other evil vices, but
families suffer! The men who called
for the arrest and punishment of
Paul and Silas cared nothing for the
spiritual well-being of the nowdelivered damsel; they cared only
about the loss of their business
profits.
I. The Jailbreak
Instead of rebelling against
the local authorities, Paul and
Silas confronted principalities
and powers through prayer and
praise. Paul realized that the
real powers opposing him were
not of men, but of Satan.
Ephesians 6:12
“For we wrestle not against
flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the
darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness
in high places” (Ephesians
6:12).
Willing to submit and suffer while
I.
The for
Jailbreak
praying
those in authority, Paul
and Silas experienced God’s
miraculous intervention. God shook
the prison, releasing the chains
from the captives, including Paul
and Silas. However, Paul was able to
assure the jailer that none of the
prisoners had fled and all were
present. Consequently, they were
able to share the gospel with him
and baptize him that very night.
C. Confrontation
C. Confrontation with Pain
with Pain
In prison, bruised and bleeding,
Paul and Silas began to sing
praises to God. They sang even
though they were in pain. Paul
and Silas did not give in to their
pain or disappointment. Instead,
they resolved to praise God in
spite of it. As a result, God
manifested His power.
Life can hurt us and people can
I.disappoint
The Jailbreak
us. During such
moments, if we focus on our pain
we can become bitter. The
example provided by Paul and
Silas teaches us a wonderful
lesson about avoiding the snare of
bitterness—confront pain through
prayer and by praising God. For
Paul and Silas, prayer and praise
provided a liberating experience,
and it will achieve the same for us
today.
Focusing on our pain only
bind us to our misery
I.serves
The toJailbreak
whereas focusing on God
liberates us. By confronting their
pain through prayer and praise to
God, Paul and Silas experienced
the liberating power of God and
also witnessed God liberating
others.
Men of greed and power
sought to harm God’s servants,
but God miraculously intervened
and turned the situation around.
God freed both Paul and Silas
I.
The
Jailbreak
and
the Philippian
jailer and his
household—Paul and Silas from
their physical chains, and the jailer’s
household from their spiritual
chains. When believers make up
their mind to serve God faithfully in
spite of their circumstances,
setbacks, disappointments, or pain,
God will protect them and use them
to reveal His glory.
The Threat of Death
II. The
Threat
of
Death
Individuals made death threats
against Paul on numerous
occasions, but Acts 21 relates one of
the gravest incidents he faced. He
was accosted at the Temple by angry
Jews and accused of teaching
against the law of Moses and of
bringing a Gentile into the Temple.
The angry mob drew Paul outside the
Temple intending to kill him. In spite
of the threat of imminent death, God
intervened once again. This time,
protection for Paul came through a
Roman military authority.
the tumultuous crowd
I.News
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reached the commander of Roman
soldiers quartered in Jerusalem. He
immediately intervened to save
Paul's life, taking him into protective
custody. This commander in Rome’s
army was committed to fulfilling his
duty as a peacekeeper. He placed
himself in harm’s way to protect
Paul.
I.We
The
Jailbreak
should
gratefully recognize the
many public servants—firemen,
policemen, military personnel, and
others—who serve to protect us and
our communities. More than public
servants, they are ministers of God
(Romans 13:1-7).
A. Public Discussion
A. Public
Discussion
Once Paul had been carried to
relative safety, he requested of the
Roman captain that he be allowed to
address the hostile Jews. In Acts 22,
Paul gave his personal testimony,
how he received the revelation of
God in Christ and was baptized in
Jesus’ name, receiving the gift of
the Holy Ghost. Paul once devoutly
practiced the religious traditions of
those standing before him, but had
come to believe that the God of the
Jews’ religion was manifested in
Jesus Christ—the Jews’ Messiah!
God was “in” Christ (II Corinthians
5:19). However, the mob standing
I.
The
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before Paul rejected his testimony.
Standing in the face of imminent
danger, Paul lifted his voice and
witnessed to an angry and hostile
mob. Even the threat of death could
not silence this stalwart soldier of
Jesus Christ. Paul viewed the
eternal significance of proclaiming
the message of the new birth as far
more important than his personal
safety. Like Paul, our desire to
herald the truth must be greater
than our fear of death and our desire
to be popular with the crowd.
B. Private
B. Private Encouragement
Encouragement
The mob rejected Paul’s
testimony, but God spoke to Paul
saying, “Be of good cheer, Paul: for
as thou hast testified of me in
Jerusalem, so must thou bear
witness also at Rome” (Acts 23:11).
Those words of encouragement
must have been a source of great
consolation to Paul, hearing and
realizing that his efforts were not in
vain.
Knowing that God had a purpose for
him in Rome strengthened Paul’s
I.
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faith. Regardless of the setbacks he
experienced in Jerusalem, Paul now
knew that God would see him
through it.
God often meets with us in
private moments and encourages
us, helping us to overcome
discouragement. Following Elijah’s
moment in the spotlight as he faced
off with Jezebel’s prophets of Baal,
discouragement seized him and he
reached the point where he wanted
to die.
However, God touched Elijah and
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restored
his strength for a future
work (I Kings 19:1-8). God knows
how to bring encouragement into
our lives when we need it most. Our
efforts to herald this wonderful
gospel message are never in vain,
and our discouragement is never
beyond God’s notice.
C. Secret Threat and
C. Secret ThreatEscape
and Escape
Some of the Jews devised a plan
whereby they would ambush Paul as
the captain was escorting him to a
meeting with the chief priests and
elders of Israel. However, a young lad
discovered their plan when he
overheard their scheming. The lad
went straight to Paul and revealed
the secret plan to him. Paul then
made certain the Roman captain
received the information about the
plot, and the captain made plans to
remove Paul in the night.
The ambitions of the Jews to
I. ThekillJailbreak
openly
Paul had failed, and their
secret scheme also had failed. The
revelation of the secret plan and its
subsequent foiling was nothing less
than miraculous. God had intervened
for Paul, for as Daniel said to
Nebuchadnezzar, “There is a God in
heaven that revealeth secrets”
(Daniel 2:28). God had once again
moved against the enemies of His
people on their behalf, performing
His work for their protection.
It is amazing how God orchestrates
I.
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HisThe
supreme
plan, arranging for
people to be at specific places at
specific times for a specific
purpose—all designed to protect
and advance His cause through His
people.
In Tramp for the Lord, Corrie ten
Boom tells of her miraculous
deliverance from Ravensbrück
concentration camp operated by the
German Nazis during World War II. A
place Corrie described as “the
deepest hell that man can create.”
In Life Lessons from the Hiding
I. ThePam
Jailbreak
Place,
Rosewell Moore states,
“By the end of the war more than
132,000 women and children had
been imprisoned in Ravensbrück,
and it is estimated that 92,000 of
them died there by starvation,
execution or weakness.” One of the
92,000 was Corrie’s sister, Betsie.
How did Corrie escape being one of
the casualties at Ravensbrück? After
her release, Corrie discovered she
was spared as the result of an
“administrative blunder”—a clerical
error!
The Shipwreck
III. The
Paul’sShipwreck
life was anything but easy.
In II Corinthians 11:23-27, Paul listed
the many difficult experiences he
had to endure. Among them he
listed “shipwreck,” being in “perils
of waters,” and “perils in the sea.”
The more we study the life of Paul,
the more we can respect his voice
as one of profound personal
experience with regard to trusting
God. Paul abundantly learned to
trust God for deliverance, for God
had proven Himself to be faithful to
Paul through every circumstance.
The Roman
captain had safely
I. The
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transported Paul from Jerusalem to
Caesarea. From there, Paul
eventually would continue his
journey en route to Rome. The
voyage from Caesarea to Rome
would prove to be another neardeath experience for Paul. Yet once
again, God rose to the occasion
and miraculously protected His
servant.
A. The Solemn
A. The Solemn Warning
Warning
Along the voyage from Caesarea
to Rome, Luke wrote that sailing
conditions became “dangerous”
(Acts 27:9). At that point Paul
issued a warning to those in
authority saying, “Sirs, I perceive
that this voyage will be with hurt
and much damage” (Acts 27:10).
Paul’s words went unheeded—and
at great cost!
The ship carrying Paul was
headed toward certain disaster, but
I.
The
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Paul could only pray and trust God.
As the journey progressed, the ship
encountered the predicted trouble.
In the height of the storm, Luke
stated that all hope of being saved
had evaporated (Acts 27:20).
However, when Paul emerged from
his prayer meeting with God, his
confidence was unshakable as he
declared that an angel of God had
stood by him and assured him of
safety for those who would stay in
the ship (Acts 27:22, 31).
I.
The
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God had spoken to Paul and he held
tenaciously to God’s promise. Paul
believed nothing could prevent God
achieving His purposes for Paul’s
life at Rome.
B. The Serious Loss
B. The Serious Loss
As conditions worsened, the
ship’s crew did all they could do.
They took up the anchors and
committed themselves to the sea,
doing their best to steer the ship
toward the shore. Soon the ship
ran aground. The violence of the
waves took its toll and the ship was
broken apart. The ship and all its
cargo were lost, but as Paul had
assured them, they lost not a single
human life! Make no mistake—God
is trustworthy.
On seeing the ship was
I.
The Jailbreak
disintegrating,
the soldiers
counseled to kill the prisoners lest
any should escape. But the
centurion, “willing to save Paul,”
prevented that from happening and
everyone escaped to safety. Hence,
Paul escaped death again! (See Acts
27:42-43.)
There are instances when life
brings to us situations over which
we have no control and that exceed
our strength and ability to alter.
We may even reach the point where
death
imminent, as Paul
I.
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described in II Corinthians 1:8-10:
“We were pressed out of measure,
above strength, insomuch that we
despaired even of life: but we had
the sentence of death in ourselves,
that we should not trust in
ourselves, but in God which raiseth
the dead: who delivered us from so
great a death, and doth deliver: in
whom we trust that he will yet
deliver us.” We, like Paul, must learn
to trust God to fulfill His purpose in
our lives.
C. The Certain Safety
C. The Certain Safety
In spite of all the danger
surrounding him, Paul entrusted
his well-being—his very life and
future—into the hands of God.
Evident in Paul’s life was the
powerful conviction that as we
commit our lives to God’s service,
He will protect us and preserve us
until we have finished the course
He has set before us. (See
Proverbs 3:5-6.) There is no safer
place in the world than living in the
center of God’s will.
The Serpent Bite
IV. The Serpent Bite
Having escaped the threat of
death once by the sea and again
when Julius, the centurion,
dissuaded the soldiers from killing
the prisoners, Paul faced the
threat of death yet again. This
time, God miraculously protected
him from the deadly bite of a
venomous snake.
The survivors of the shipwreck
escaped to the island of Melita and
I.
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were kindly received by the
inhabitants. As Paul gathered sticks
to lay on a fire, a viper fastened
itself on Paul’s hand and the
islanders expected him to die as a
result of the serpent’s bite. However,
God had destined Paul to be a
witness in Rome, and until God’s
purpose in Paul’s life was
completed, death seemed to have
no power over him. Paul shook off
the snake into the fire as if it were a
simple nuisance. Paul’s confidence
in God was secure; he was unafraid.
In Mark 16:17-18, Jesus promised
I.certain
The signs
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would accompany
believers: “And these signs shall
follow them that believe; In my
name shall they cast out devils;
they shall speak with new tongues;
they shall take up serpents; and if
they drink any deadly thing, it shall
not hurt them; they shall lay hands
on the sick, and they shall recover.”
God promised protection, and
Paul’s life bears witness that the
Lord’s protection does in fact
accompany believers.
A. Paul Was Faithful
A. Paul Was Faithful
Through the ups and downs of
ministry, Paul remained faithful.
Although he often suffered trials,
hardships, and the threat of death,
Paul never once skirted his duty.
Weaker individuals would have
turned back and given up. That Paul
disdained such weakness in others
is evident in his treatment of John
Mark after he had failed to continue
with the missionary party (Acts
15:37-41).
the closing
chapter of his life,
I.In The
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Paul found consolation in facing
death knowing he had “finished”
the course God had set before him
(II Timothy 4:6-8).
B. Paul Was Fastened
B. Paul Was Fastened
Jesus said, “He that is an
hireling, and not the shepherd,
whose own the sheep are not, seeth
the wolf coming, and leaveth the
sheep, and fleeth” (John 10:12). It is
certain Paul was no hireling, for he
never retreated in the face of
danger. He did not render service to
God or the church because he
sought or desired earthly
remuneration or recognition; he
served because he loved the souls
of mankind.
I.Paul’s
Thehands
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did not grip the
plow loosely, but with fervent
passion. His heart was fastened
to the will of God and he would
not retreat—even when faced
with discomfort, danger, and
death.
C. Paul Was Freed
C. Paul Was Freed
Paul had committed his life to
God’s will and the furtherance of His
kingdom. His life’s ambition was
single: his purpose was to please
God and carry the gospel of Jesus
Christ to the lost. After becoming a
believer, all of Paul’s life focused on
this supreme purpose. His passion
for the cause of Christ freed him
from worldly cares and from undue
anxiety over his future.
cautioned
Timothy, “No man
I.Paul
The
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that warreth entangleth himself
with the affairs of this life; that he
may please him who hath chosen
him to be a soldier” (II Timothy
2:4). Paul trusted in God’s
providential care and protection,
and as a result, he experienced
numerous miracles of protection,
provision, and deliverance.
Conclusion
C.Paul’s
Paullife
Was
Freed
experiences qualified
him both to minister to the
believers at Corinth and to minister
to every believer—past and
present. He has admonished all
believers to trust God, for God has
proven time and again that He is
able to deliver His people from all
threats of harm or danger. God is
our “refuge and strength, a very
present help in trouble” (Psalm
46:1).
God has called all believers to
I.fulfill
TheHisJailbreak
purpose through their
lives. Sometimes serving God will
require difficulties and sacrifices,
but we can “know that all things
work together for good to them that
love God, to them who are the
called according to his purpose”
(Romans 8:28). Armed with this
knowledge, we should not fear
life’s circumstances, pain, or death;
but we should pursue the will of
God with confidence, faith, and
faithfulness to His cause.
I. The Jailbreak
God can do whatever is necessary
in order to empower us to complete
the work He has called us to do in
our lifetime. We can trust God
completely with our lives.